


Down Below

by monstersinthecosmos



Series: The Usher [2]
Category: Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice
Genre: Armand is a troll, Daniel is so done, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-20 21:41:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9517304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monstersinthecosmos/pseuds/monstersinthecosmos
Summary: Armand discovers sex shops.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Titled borrowed from [Down Below by CHROM](https://youtu.be/5NNyN8d17XU); not a profound lyrical motif today except that I'm always on the lookout for synthy music that reminds me of these two clowns, and I wrote most of this fic to this song. :D

_1981_

 

Armand’s obsessions were cyclical. Daniel started noticing the patterns early on, and had come to see the warning signs. It was something that crackled to life beneath his typically placid face, like the curiosity and excitement had brought him back to life. A flare in his eyes, his mouth open with a little gasp of awe. It could be anything; it was like this when he’d first seen a blender, and when he first discovered video tapes, and roller-blades, Post-It notes. There was the time he discovered push tabs on soda cans and dragged Daniel to every late-night bodega he could find, and bought more soda and beer than Daniel would ever be able to drink just to make him pop them all open, one after the other. He was fascinated, riveted.

So Daniel could see it coming on, saw it bloom in the vampire’s face the night he’d seen his first sex shop. He’d stopped dead in his tracks on the streets of Chelsea, the neon lights in the window bathing his face in a soft red. And he gave Daniel that little grin he would get, full of mischief and childish glee.

“I want to go in here,” he said. It made Daniel roll his eyes, the weird dramatic way Armand always had to announce things like this. It wasn’t up for discussion, not really. Just a precursor.

And a moment later, holding Daniel by the wrist, he was pushing through the doors, and then the bead curtain beyond them, and then they were in the midst of all of it. Loud music was thumping from a back room; Daniel felt it resonating in the pit of his stomach. Armand’s hand tightened on him, just a little, not enough to hurt, and he stood completely still as he looked all around the room.

The front of the shop was all videos. Other patrons hunched, shy, as they perused the selection. Weak fluorescent light flickering in spots. There was an accelerating feeling of dread rising in him that he tried to push out of his mind, lest Armand catch the thought and get any ideas. But please, please, he hoped Armand wouldn’t suddenly get into porn. That would be too much to deal with. He wasn’t sure he could stomach it.

But instead Armand pointed towards the back of the shop, and gave Daniel a little swat on the arm to get his attention.

The back was all the apparel and the equipment and toys. Armand began to close in on it, pulling Daniel behind him. And suddenly, _oh god_ , was this going to be worse than videos? He could see it already, the way Armand would cycle through these discoveries, and he was already imagining Armand buying everything on hand, every toy, every restraint, every scandalous vinyl article. And, _oh god._

“Armand…” he began to say, but wasn’t even sure where to start. Armand had completely transformed now, back into the seventeen-year-old human, his face alight with youth, with joy. It came out so rarely that Daniel suddenly felt guilty trying to stop it.

He was excited enough that he even let go of Daniel’s wrist to wander away. Daniel could feel the heat rising in his cheeks as he watched Armand pick up handcuffs, and then a flogger, and then, though out of earshot, he saw Armand pointing at the shelf of plugs as he questioned an employee. All different shapes, different sizes,  arranged as the color wheel. It was an oddly cheerful display, a rainbow.  Imagining the questions being asked was actually sort of funny; sometimes Armand really outed himself as someone not from this century. But he was sure they dealt with all kinds of weirdos in this place. It probably wasn’t that strange.

Still, the settling acceptance that this was about to be A Thing was making him groan on the inside, and was making him feel claustrophobic. He turned and went back, pushing through the bead curtain again and then out into the street. Even the exhaust-laden New York City air felt fresh, like a relief. He sat down on the curb and lit a cigarette.

When Armand finally emerged he had two large bags, both shiny black plastic. His face was softened but mostly neutral again. He stood over Daniel, looking down at him with perfect calm, and waited for the boy to stand.

“I bought things,” he announced.

“Yeah, I see that. What did you think you were going to do with them?”

“They’re for you.”

“I’m sure.”

Armand slipped an arm around Daniel’s waist as they walked. “The cashier asked me if I knew what to do with them. He told me to be ‘Safe, Sane, & Consensual.’ It was on a sign at the register.”

Daniel chuckled a little.

“Why did he say this to me?”

“It’s a catch phrase they use. You know, in the scene,” Daniel explained.  Armand gave him a little squeeze on his waist and he immediately tensed and waved his hands in defense. “I mean! I did a story about it once. I interviewed someone. I learned some stuff.”

“Why do they say that?”

They had lapsed into a casual stroll, heading back in the general direction of the hotel where Daniel was staying. It made something flutter inside. Anticipation. “It means, you know. When you get into all this S&M stuff, make sure your partner is okay. It’s not actually about torturing anyone.”

Armand made a little noise in his throat in consideration.

“You told me you were into that when you were alive, right? Didn’t you have stuff like this?”

Like all other questions about Armand’s past, it went unanswered. Daniel sighed.

“Y’know, like you go in knowing what’s okay and what’s not okay. You tell your partner if you have a boundary that you don’t want to cross.”

“Do you have a boundary, Daniel?”

A long silence followed as he thought about it, suddenly feeling exposed and unsure if Armand was listening to his thoughts. A montage of images was flipping through his mind, trying to think back. Boundaries. But with Armand…?

Hadn’t he always been pushed? Right to the edge?

When they stopped at a crosswalk, he turned to see Armand staring at him. Right into him. And, _ah fuck_ , that look on his face.

“But where is the edge, Daniel?”

He swallowed, hard, throat suddenly feeling dry.

Armand leaned in closer, tilting his head upwards to speak low near Daniel’s ear. “I keep pushing but I haven’t found it yet. Won’t you tell me when we get there?”


End file.
